Tag Archives: Malta

The island is known as a popular destination for teenagers due to its various supply of English courses and even broader choice of nightclubs. Despite being in our mid-20s, we decided together with the girls to give it an ultimate try and hit it up for Diana’s Birthday celebration. Wooohooo! I admit, it feels completely different now to travel to such a teenager place, even though just a few years back I myself went to exactly the same packed clubs and drank exactly the same sugar bombs aka free welcome drinks in Llloret de Mar, Mallorca, Barcelona, Aya Napa and at many more destinations that I don’t even want to leave links for here, since some posts are quite embarrassing. I am not claiming such places don’t amuse me. But let’s face the reality, we have become old venerable ladies. Now we seek for something comfortable, fancy-ish and not as loud and sweaty.

Since I skipped this when was 16, here is The Old Ladies’ Guide Around Malta.

We stayed in St. Julian district. I don’t have much to compare to, but I liked it there: quiet (just perfect for old ladies) streets with neat houses; at the same time, a lot of cafes, pools and bars nearby. Hugo’s Infinity pooland Intercontinental are worth visiting. Nice people and staff, not overcrowded, stunning views and the feeling of being exclusive, especially looking down at other pools which look like aquariums. Entrance fee of 20 euros is fair for an entire day spent at such terraces, if you ask me. It also secures you from very young and very drunk schoolkids, no offence, I am just jealous! At nighttime those places turn into dance floors, where the old ladies danced like they were 16 again.

the view from Infinity pool

Hugo’s Boutique Hotel

The best way to move around is using the ecabs service. It’s similar to Uber but frankly not as effective, once we had to await our car for more than an hour. Renting a car was no option because nobody was prepared to drive on the left side of the road with that maltese traffic. Anyways, moving around the island is quite easy and not very pricy.

Valletta is a capital and the most beautiful place in island, I heard. To be clear, we went to Malta mostly to celebrate a birthday, i.e. chill and drink non-stop, so sightseeing wasn’t our priority. I would love to have few more days for it, though, since Malta appeared very charming, diverse and definitely worth exploring!

Ta’xbeix Port was the area that looked the most beautiful among everything we had seen to me. We moored there on a yacht, which gave us a chance to enjoy the views of Valletta and the Bay from far away. I don’t have much pictures because at that point I was already half breathing due to my seasickness, but the seashore took the rest of my breath away.

Talking about the yacht – a must do! If you go as a big crew (we were 6 people) and can split the price – don’t hesitate and hire a private one! It’s an unforgettable experience, to sail from the early morning on, see as much of the island as you can never cover by car/bus, not even talking about the views and experience of swimming in the clearest high seas waters . Our awesome captain, who learnt the word “buchnyom!” suspiciously fast, took us on a long beautiful journey to Gozo, on another island; Comino, where we snorkeled in the famous Blue Lagoon and in the waters around; St. Paul’s Bay coastal waters and further to the open sea. Snorkeling equipment is a good thing to have on you, as well as waterproof iphone cases! Booking a yacht is easy online, there are multiple agencies with harmonized price ranges. Enjoy!

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Where most of tourists spend their time are the so-called beach clubs. A beach club doesn’t have to be on the beach, sometimes there is only a pool, so better research a bit and chose what you desire. We went to Café Del Mar and 1926 Beach Club. Café del Mar is a bit posher (25 euros to get a sunbed), with pretty girls in pretty swimsuits, fancy drinks, sometimes way too cool music, but there are no little kids and the atmosphere was nice and fun. A large pool with view above the sea is a perfect spot for taking pics, but there is no sea access. 1926 Beach Club is smaller and simpler (10 euros for an entrance, 15 during weekends), there you most likely get a beer and go down to the rocks to chill if a small swimming pool gets too full. The stairs down to the sea are a big advantage! I liked it even more than the first club despite children in the pool and limited area. Watch out, their chef is quite lazy and 2 hours before the closing he already refused to make anything but pizzas and burgers for us, which was a little disappointment since the menu looked very promising.

CdM

CdM

CdM

1926

My most important topic, the food. Well, it’s no Italy there. Typical “resort style” food, not bad nor good, with few negative feedbacks but mostly good enough to keep enjoying the holiday. Seafoods, good sandwiches, pizzas and stuff are edible in St. Julian and most of those fancy hotels and beach clubs, but I won’t expect anything outstanding. Lore and Fitch was the only restaurant I would like to point out – perfect steaks, high quality service, nice view, etc. Some other restaurants looked fine too, but then the eggs came overcooked, half of the menu was not available… I would recommend to give it a try and travel the island more for the food, go to fishermen village, eat away from the tourist areas. If only we had more time and less party to do there – I’d definitely do that!

Most of the bars are those Mallorca/Lloret de Mar/Antalya bars I mentioned at the beginning of this post. When I was 16, I loved it! I am sure it’s still a lot of fun if you are tipsy! I would easily make my old bones dance to that 2000s music and drink those cheap sugar bombs they serve, but since we went partying during the weekend, the clubs and bars were TOO crowded. By too crowded I mean you couldn’t even see the ceiling, and that was too much at some point. We did manage to find a different bar, though! The Thirsty Barber is a treasure if you search for higher quality leisure. Amazing drinks, big dancefloor there all the guests jumped when a band started performing life. It was proper fun of a kind that you find in a cool pub in London, if that helps to imagine the vibe. The staff was very attentive and brought us shots for Diana’s birthday at midnight, and the overall experience was a 5+.

I liked Malta. Easygoing fun, a lot of beautiful doors, tanned happy teenagers and boats. So if you don’t yet have a large family and wanna feel young and wild – Malta is a place to see. And hopefully see my girls on another trip soon!